One
by chameleoncircuit11
Summary: Why is she searching again? Oh yes; for that ONE boy.
1. Preface

Sometimes things are thrown at you, without any warning. Sometimes things go by so fast, that you scarcely know how it all happened. You forget what you used to be like, and you forget your old life. The next thing you know, you're searching desperately for who you are, and what your purpose is. And when you find it… well, I don't know what happens after that. But I should probably tell you that my name is Marie, and I'm afraid of spiders.

I have absolutely no idea why they creep me out. Maybe it's something that has to do with the long legs and the abundance of eyes. Especially the poisonous spiders are the ones that really scare me. Even though their grace is impressive, I've just never been fond of the creepy, crawly, eight-legged arachnids.

You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this, but I'm here to tell my story. My story of what happened with a mysterious but deeply courageous boy. And what happened with his best friend. And I'm here to tell you about what it's like to be a monster. And it all started at a place that we all know and love—the Cirque du Freak.


	2. Chapter 1: Cirque du Freak

It was an old, abandoned theater. My friend Devon and I walked in. It smelled musty, like the smell of a basement that hadn't been opened in years. There was a lot of dust, a couple of cobwebs, but thankfully there were no spiders. The theater had an ancient, mystical aura about it. Devon and I gave our tickets to a young man, maybe eighteen or nineteen years old. He threw our tickets in the air, and pierced them with a knife so that they were now stuck to the wall. The young ticket taker wore a nametag written with the name "Jekkus" on it. I thanked him, and we proceeded to walk in. We sat down in the front row, near stage left. Devon begged me to sit there, for I had originally wanted to sit near the middle of the crowd—not too close, but not to far away from the show.

We sat next to a couple of teenage boys, who seemed around our age, but maybe a bit older. One of them had dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, and seemed to be ready to bounce off the walls in excitement for the Cirque. The other was calmer, with shadowy dark hair and forest green eyes. He seemed to be studying the theater. Then, he turned to his friend, and tried to calm him down. Devon and I took our seats, and I was next to the dark-haired boy. I inhaled a bit too much dust, and sneezed.

"Bless you," said Devon and the boy simultaneously.

"Thank you," I replied to each of them, while sweeping one of my light brown pieces of hair out of my face. At this moment, I first got a close look at the dark-haired boy. His eyes twinkled, and his nose gently crinkled when he laughed at my high-pitched sneeze. He also had a nice, bright smile.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"I'm Marie," I grinned. "And what's yours?"

"I'm Darren." He gestured to his friend. "And this is Steve."

Steve turned around and casually said, "Hey." Then, he saw Devon, and his eyebrows lifted. He obviously fancied her auburn hair and mossy green eyes. He asked me, "Who's your friend?"

"I'm Devon," she said quite loudly and with confidence.

"Well, it's nice to meet you guys," I said.

"Same here," Darren said. Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and the crowd went silent. Attention was focused onstage, where a spotlight appeared and an extremely tall man was standing.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Cirque du Freak. I am Mr. Tall, and I own this show, which is the longest running freak show in the Western Hemisphere. And now…" the spotlight turned off, and he exited the stage. A shrieking, howling noise then filled the theater. I covered my ears because the shriek was so piercing, and the intensity of the noise took me by surprise. I tensed in my seat. A wolf-like creature was pulled out onto the stage in a cage with wheels. The creature shook the cage, screaming wildly and striking fear into every audience member.

"This," Mr. Tall said, "is the wolf-man. Part human, part wolf."

Mr. Tall went on to introduce many more freaks and performers. There was a man who could grow back his own limbs, a bearded lady who could grow her beard at any time she wishes, a woman with unbreakable teeth, and a performing acrobat spider.

Mr. Tall introduced the spider as 'Madam Octa', and a man clad in red with vivid orange hair took the stage. He unveiled the cage he was holding, and in it was a huge, brightly colored, hairy spider with immense legs and big eyes. It was disgusting and terrifying and altogether revolting. I was horrified of Madam Octa, because she was one of the biggest spiders I have ever seen, and she was poisonous enough to cause death. I clutched the armrests of my seat in fear and in stress. I looked over at Darren, to take my eyes off of Madam Octa. However, he was in complete contrast with me. Darren was leaning forward in his seat, trying to get a closer look at the spider. His eyes were wide in curiosity, and he seemed to be hypnotized by the spider, which was rocking back and forth on a web she built on the orange-haired man's chin. Madam Octa then dismounted from her string of web, and was back on the top of the cage. The orange-haired man, whose name was Mr. Crepsley, announced that she was going to kill a goat with one bite.

I covered my eyes, and inhaled deeply. I noticed that I breathed in a nice, fresh smell. I then realized that I was cowering with my face buried in Darren's shoulder. I felt him move his shoulder, and I pulled away. I felt like such a wimp because I was afraid of a stupid spider. _A stupid, POISONOUS spider._

In a few minutes, Mr. Crepsley and Madam Octa were done with their act, and the show was over. I was anxious to get out of the Cirque du Freak. We stood up to start leaving, when an enormous snake emerged from the balcony. Several people screamed, but then a boy came out behind the snake. Well, I _thought_ it was a boy. He had green and blue scales instead of skin, and long, yellow-green hair. The snake-boy hissed at the snake, and then it coiled around his shoulders. Then, Mr. Tall came out and said that the show was really over. Devon and I exited, but Darren and Steve disappeared. I hoped I would see Darren again. I think I was starting to like him.


	3. Chapter 2: Death

As I arrived back at home, thoughts of the Cirque du Freak ran through my head. It was a remarkable show, and I was deeply intrigued by the boy who I sat next to, Darren. There was something about him that made me want to see him again. Not only was he physically attractive, but he seemed like an extremely sweet boy. I wished I could get to know him more.

***

A few weeks later, I woke up, got ready for school, and started eating breakfast. I unfolded the newspaper, and turned the pages, impatiently looking for something interesting to read. I passed the advice column, the comics which were not entertaining at all, and then I found the obituaries on the last page. I scanned through them, but it was only pictures of a bunch of old people… and the picture of a teenage boy. His face and his name were familiar. I was stricken with horror. The name of the boy who died was Darren Shan.

Darren Shan! It was the boy I met at the Cirque du Freak! I couldn't believe that he died so early in his life. I rode the bus to school with the folded-up newspaper article in my pocket. I was degraded and upset as I made my way to school. It wasn't fair for Darren to die so soon.

All day at school, I dragged myself to where I needed to be. School was torture, and I couldn't stop thinking about him. After school, I did my homework, and then rode my bike to the town cemetery, where the obituary stated that Darren was buried. I arrived, left my bike at the entrance, and searched through the ocean of grey gravestones, looking for the one that read "Darren Shan".

After I found it, I kneeled to the ground and stared at the gravestone. "Hi, Darren," I said as I talked to his grave.

"It really sucks that you are gone so soon. I'm just kind of glad that I got to meet you before you left. I'm sure you would have been a great friend." A tear slipped down my cheek. It wasn't fair for him.

Suddenly, I spotted a shadowy figure near the entrance of the cemetery. I got up, and started running to my bike to ride home. I was scared so badly that I ran as fast as I could. But something caught my foot and I tripped and fell. I made a thump as I hit the ground. The figure turned to look at me, and ran over to me at an amazing speed.

"Please don't hurt me," I said as the figure loomed over me.

"Marie, what are you doing here?" it asked. I still didn't look up at the male person who was looking down at me. "How do you know my name?"

"It's me, Darren."

"_Darren?_" I finally looked up at him, and rose to my feet. "I thought you were dead!"

"It's a long story," he said.

"You should tell me why you're here talking to me, instead of lying dead in that grave."

"Well, I guess I'll have to tell you sooner or later…"

"Tell me."

"You'll probably not believe me, but Mr. Crepsley from the Cirque du Freak is a vampire. In an attempt to save Steve's life, I let Crepsley turn me into a half-vampire. I had to fake my death to make sure my family didn't go looking for me. So here I am, out of my grave and completely alive. Well, I guess I'm undead."

I laughed at his far-fetched story. "That's crazy."

"But it's true. You have to believe me. Now, I wish I could stay and chat, but I have to go find Mr. Crepsley. Goodbye, Marie," he said.

He turned to start walking away, but I ran up to him and tapped his shoulder. Darren turned back around and looked at me, his green eyes blazing. I opened my arms and hugged him around his waist. I laid my head on his chest, and his arms wrapped around me. Because his hands were on my back, I could feel his sharp fingernails digging into me. His nails were oddly long. I then looked up at him. His eyes were shut, and his black hair was swayed across his forehead.

"Bye, Darren. I'm glad that I got another chance to see you." I didn't expect him to do so, but he gave me a short but sweet kiss on the forehead, and ran off to find the orange-haired vampire. Then, I walked away from the graveyard, content in the facts that he wasn't dead and that he kissed me. However, I was a bit disappointed that he lied to everyone about his death. I decided to keep his secret and not tell his family; it would become a huge mess if I did tell. Besides, he supposedly was a half-vampire now, and he probably couldn't return to his human life.


	4. Chapter 3: Transformation

I couldn't keep him out of my head. The way that Darren looked into my eyes, his unexpected kiss, and the way his muscular yet comfortable arms wrapped around me. For the next couple of weeks I researched vampires until I was sick of them. I came across articles and myths about ugly vampires, stunningly beautiful vampires, uncontrollable beast-like vampires, and much more. None of the myths described Darren. He was normal, except for his piercing eyes and sharp nails.

So I decided to find Steve, Darren's friend. He was the only person I could talk to. After all, Darren was gone, and it was unnecessary to tell Devon about him. After going to the upperclassman part of school, I found Steve Leonard. He was standing with a crowd of kids around him, with a huge bump on his face. He was entertaining the other kids with his jokes. Soon, the bell rang for everyone to go to class; Steve stayed. He never went to class on time (I'd heard from the sophomores that the infamous Steve Leonard was known for cutting class and irritating the teachers). As he was walking out the door to go spend time on the roof of the school, I called his name.

"Steve!" I said, running up to catch up with him. "It's me, Marie; I was at the Cirque with you."

"Oh yeah, I remember you," he said in a pompous tone as he kept walking up the stairs to the roof. Once we reached the top, he casually said, "So, what's up?"

"I came here to tell you that Darren is still alive." I felt bad that I was breaking my promise not to tell anyone. But I felt the need to tell Steve, because they were best friends.

After a brief hesitation, Steve admitted that he "already knew that."

"So, what do you think we should do now? Go find him?"

"He left. He doesn't need us to find him. Crepsley is the one I want to track down." He proceeded to tell me about his request to become a vampire. He expressed his rage at Darren because he stole his place as a child of the night. Steve really hated his life. He hated Darren almost as much.

"Well, why don't we find Mr. Crepsley and Darren?" I tried to be persuasive, so that I could convince him to find Darren with me. I was just desperate to find him again. I couldn't just let him kiss me and then walk away forever! "You can get revenge on Crepsley, and we might get lucky enough to become vampires."

I wanted Steve to agree with me. I wanted to find Darren. But I felt like this outside force wanted me to become a vampire, and it wanted me to leave my family, my friends, and my normal life. It was a bit like destiny was urging me to convince him. When Steve agreed to leave this humdrum town, my life changed.

***

So Steve and I started out trek to find Mr. Crepsley and Darren. We snuck out of our houses one night, with rucksacks full of essential items like water, a knife, a blanket, and soap. We slept in alleyways, and stole from shops. We always had a knife handy, and we had to survive on our own.

I was almost eighteen now, and my hair had gotten quite long. It was spun into a braid that rested down my back. As we settled down for the night, and made a fire, I grabbed another piece of bread from our stash of food and curled up to eat. I looked over at Steve. He had changed too, ever since our running away together when I was fourteen and he was seventeen. Steve's face had lost its roundness, and he had chopped his hair messily with a knife. He had also grown muscles from the hard work we did to keep us alive. But despite his manly changes, I only looked at him as a blood brother.

I shut my eyes as I slowly drifted off to sleep. I heard breathing, but it was probably only Steve. I faintly felt something grab my wrist. I heard Steve yell, "What the hell are you doing?!?" and my eyes burst open to a frightening scene. A dark purple monster with red eyes and hair was looming over me. Steve pounced on its back, stabbing the knife into the creature's back.

"Wait," groaned the monster. He rubbed some of his saliva on his wound as he said, "I see great potential from you, boy. Who are you?"

"Your worst nightmare!" growled Steve as he punched the monster in the stomach.

"Honestly, I mean no harm. Who are you?"

"Steve Leonard. And she's Marie."

"We have been waiting for you, Steve Leonard. Come with me and I will blood you. And I'll save your girlfriend too."

"She's not my girlfriend," Steve muttered. Then, I intervened. "You'll blood us? You mean you're a vampire?"

"No, silly girl. I am a vampaneze. They're much better than vampires. Vampaneze drink all the blood of a human, saving them from the pain by killing them. Vampaneze are better… more benevolent."

Steve immediately agreed to the vampaneze's offer. Walking among the night and drinking blood was what he'd dream about ever since he was a child. So I decided to go along with Steve; he was the only person I was close to and the only person I trusted. My family was gone, I left my friends, and Steve was all I had left. I said yes to the vampaneze, and he cut my fingertips with his sharp, red nails. Blood oozed slowly out of my cuts, and the vampaneze whose name was Alok started to slit his own fingertips. _This is odd_, I thought. Then Alok pressed his cuts to mine and Steve's. About 5 seconds later, I clutched my chest. My heart pumped unnaturally in uneven beats.

"You two are now half-vampaneze," said Alok.

"Sweet!" exclaimed Steve. Alok told us to lick out fingers. After we did so, the skin grew back rapidly, sealing the cuts. I ran back and forth in the alleyway at a tremendous speed. My muscles felt overgrown and they were aching to be used. I had an endless amount of energy and could see clearer than I did before. I looked at my tingling hands, and noticed that I had sprouted long, sharp nails.

"Come now," said Alok. "I have a lot to tell and teach you."

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	5. Chapter 4: Vampire Mountain

Alok taught us a lot. He told Steve and me all about being vampaneze. He told us that we aren't immortal, but our life spans are longer than humans. Also, since we were half-vampaneze, our skin was normally colored; if we were full vampaneze, our skin would be purple and our nails, hair, and eyes would be red. Alok caught us up on the tension between the vampire clan and the vampaneze clan, and how our clan was searching for the Vampaneze Lord. A mysterious man named Mr. Tiny had foreseen it, and he had told our clan. Mr. Tiny was supposedly immortal, and he could toy with time and destiny. In fact, his name is Destiny. His first name is Desmond or "Des" for short, which spells out Des Tiny, or "Destiny".

"I could be the Vampaneze Lord," Steve mused as Alok was talking. I ignored Steve; he was such a big dreamer. Then, Alok told us that we would go to the Vampire Headquarters, otherwise known as Vampire Mountain, to try to make peace with them before a war erupted. However, Steve had other plans. He insisted he be tested to be the Vampaneze Lord. Alok told him that it was a huge risk; there was a 99% chance that he wasn't the Lord, and that he would die.

"I don't care, Alok. I want to try," he explained.

"Very well," said Alok, tired of arguing with Steve. "I will allow you to go with my old friend, Gannen Harst. You may take the test for the Vampaneze Lord, if you don't change your mind."

Steve smiled like it was the happiest day of his life; he knew this was what he was born for.

***

We stayed in the same city for a few days. I began to feel run down — my nails were softer now, and I didn't run as fast as I used to. Alok said I needed blood. But then we met up with Gannen.

"Gannen! I have a young man for you to teach," Alok said as he gestured to Steve.

"Hello, friends," said Gannen. He turned to the young half-vampaneze and asked, "So I hear that you think you're the Vampaneze Lord?"

"I know I am."

"You'll have to train to gain the clan's approval. I'll teach you everything I know about being a vampaneze. Are you ready?"

"I was born ready!" Steve grinned. We then bid our goodbyes, and headed off in different directions. It was only Alok and me.

"So now where are we going?" I asked him.

"I am still taking you to Vampire Mountain. Tomorrow night, I'll teach you how to feed."

I felt sick to my stomach. The thought of draining a human's blood seemed unappealing to me.

"However, tonight we will mark our humans," Alok added to his previous statement. Then we climbed up a building, and took a view from atop it. I saw a fairly muscular and healthy man walking down the street. He entered the small apartment building across the street and I hopped into a nearby tree to get a closer look. I couldn't see inside, though, so I had to wait. After a few minutes, I saw a light go on in the dark night. It _had_ to be his room! The light was on for about twenty minutes, and then it was turned off again. I waited for a little while, and then guessed that he was asleep. I gingerly approached his windowsill by climbing down the brick wall. Carefully and stealthily, I then climbed through the window. Sure enough, the man was fast asleep. I started to make my mom. I inched closer to his bedside, and loomed over his sleeping face. I followed Alok's teachings about marking a human, and made three small scratches on the man's neck. To finish it off, I made my way back out of the window, and I was safe.

***

Alok and I slept all day, and then we woke in the evening. Tonight's lesson was about hand-to-hand combat. Alok had told me that most vampaneze have a weapon of choice. We also had to use hand-to-hand weapons, because we didn't believe in guns. Alok laid out a selection of weapons that he carried with him. He had been around for a long time, so he was familiar with using each one of the weapons. I chose the throwing knife, and started practicing with it. I carved a target on a tree, and tried to throw the knife at the target. The first couple of times I threw it, the knife simply hit the ground. Then, Alok gave me a few tips on how to throw the knife, and I was hitting the target almost all the time. Soon I started aiming at moving targets, such as small animals. This was getting fun!

"Alright, Marie, that's enough playing around. We must eat," Alok said. I looked over at him and put on my biggest puppy dog pleading face. I really didn't like the idea of killing humans. Alok continued, "I know that you hate doing this, but it's our way of life. It makes us stronger than any other species of life."

Maybe Alok was right. I was above them now; I'm a half-vampaneze for Pete's sake. Humans were only there for us to prey on and for us to kill.

_No._ What was I thinking? I will only kill to feed; I made a promise to keep killing to a minimum, and I intend to keep that promise.

So Alok and I set out to re-energize. We went back to the place where I found the man who I marked. I watched him fall asleep. I crawled back into his window, like I did previously. I creeped up to his bedside and gently pulled back his covers. I scratched his shoulder (where the main artery is) with my fingernail, and a small drop of blood seeped out. The dark crimson liquid shined in the moonlight, and I leaned in to consume it.

I sipped his blood, and the taste danced across my tongue. I kept drinking more and more. I didn't know blood could be this good! I drank more…

Until it stopped. There was no more blood that I could suck out. The man lay limp and pale in his bed. I'd realized what I've done. I had killed him. I felt horrible, but it was what had to be done. I stretched my muscles after crouching down to drink, and I actually felt a little better. In fact, I felt a lot better! My nails became harder and tougher, and I could see more clearly and move faster. I went to meet up with Alok at the top of the apartment building.

"Alok," I said. "I feel horrible."

"Horrible? You should feel revived!"

"Well, I do feel physically revived, but inside I feel like a monster for taking that man's life."

"Forget it," he said. "He's just a human."

_I used to be 'just a human'._

"Anyways, Vampire Mountain is about eighty more miles to the north. We can flit the rest of the way."

Flitting was another one of the things that I didn't like about being a vampaneze. Even though the wind was blowing through your hair, it wasn't pleasant. If you didn't hold your breath, you would feel sick and dizzy, like your head was about to spin off your neck. When you stop flitting, your hair is a messy ball of frizz that is hard to tame. I reluctantly hopped on Alok's back, held my breath, and prepared for another uncomfortable ride. Then, we flitted for many miles, and reached the foot of a mountain.

"Is this it? Where are the headquarters?" I asked, unhappy with the appearance of Vampire Mountain. I had imagined a rocky mountain with a huge castle and fortress at the top. All that was in front of me was a brown mountain with nothing on it but snow.

"This is Vampire Mountain. Everyone is inside. We must first climb the mountain to get in," Alok explained. "Follow me."

We walked a few feet up the icy mountain trail when Alok collapsed with a thump. He had a throwing star lodged into his jugular. I dove into a bush for cover, and acted like I was dead. I knew I was toast if I moved a muscle.

"Bullseye!" I heard a gruff male voice shout. I wondered if it was a vampire. A different, scornful voice snickered, "I almost feel bad for him. The stupid vampaneze didn't see it coming!"

A third, gentler voice suggested, "How about you two go back into the mountain? I'll finish my map, and catch up with you later." The other voices agreed, and I heard two sets of footsteps walk away, and another body come towards me. I prayed that this man wouldn't kill me because I was a half-vampaneze snooping around Vampire Mountain.

"I know you're there," the third voice called. He knew I was there; there's no point in hiding anymore. I slowly untangle myself from the bush's leafy branches. I stared at him; I wasn't sure whether to run, fight, or surrender. The vampire was fairly good looking and young, maybe 27 years old or so. He had golden hair, pale blue eyes, and a friendly smile on his face. He also had three red scars on his left cheek; a mark of my clan. This was confusing me—he was a vampire, but with our mark on his cheek? Something wasn't right.

"I'm Kurda," he said. "Kurda Smahlt. Don't worry, I mean no harm. It wasn't I who killed your mentor."

"I'm, um, Marie," I stuttered. Then I gestured to my cheek. "Why do you have the, you know, marks, if you're a vampire?"

"I am making peace with the vampaneze clan before a war breaks out. Come with me back to the mountain, and I'll explain everything."

He seemed so kind and sincere. I had to trust my instincts now that Alok couldn't guide me. I had to protect myself from now on.

***

As we strolled back to the mountain, Kurda explained his plan in full detail. He wanted to join the two clans back together before total chaos began. It was a smart plan, and I decided to go along with him.

"Do we have to climb all the way up the mountain?" I asked, looking up at the steep, icy landform. It was then I noticed I was in dire need of new clothing. My shoes were run down, and my shorts and shirt were torn. My hair was quite dirty, but still tied into a braid.

"No, we don't have to climb it, thanks to the tunnels and maps I made," Kurda replied. "Follow me," he instructed as he revealed a dark tunnel that led down into the ground. Once Kurda closed the entrance, the walls glowed with a neon green moss that lit up the tunnel. I could see Kurda with no problem. He led me up a small incline, and into a room that was teeming with vampaneze males. They were everywhere—socializing, sharpening weapons, and drinking alcohol mixed with blood.

"It's not a top-notch suite, but it's better than wandering outside alone," Kurda said as he patted my back to comfort me. "You'll find a place."

"Bye Kurda. Thank you."

"It's no problem," he winked, and then exited.

**Hope you're satisfied. Tell me what you think.**


	6. Chapter 5: Flood

**Everything belongs to Darren Shan, except for my own characters of course. Oh, how I wish that Darren and Kurda belonged to me…**

The room full of vampaneze was extremely cramped, with dim lighting and barely any place to sit. I decided to stay near a corner with a few other half-vampaneze. They were all males, and I bet they were all older than 21, too. I looked around nervously for even one friendly face. I was the only female, but that wasn't any different than the last five years of my life. Running away with Steve and traveling with Alok, I haven't spoken to a woman in years. I realized that there probably weren't any female vampaneze except for me.

"Hey girl," said one of the half-vampaneze guys. "How're you doin'?"

"Fine, thanks," I mumbled shakily. Then, another drunken half-vampaneze wrapped his arm around my shoulders and whispered in a deep, gruff voice, "Hey, you're pretty."

"Please don't touch me," I said as I removed his arm from my shoulders.

"Who said you could reject me, girl?" he lashed out, about to scratch and permanently scar my arm.

"Guys! Leave her alone!" a young and clearly sober half-vampaneze commanded as he twisted the other guy's arm behind his back and nearly broke it. He then pushed the drunken one on the ground. "All of you, go away." The others scattered.

"Thank you so much!" I said. "That guy almost hurt me."

"No problem. Some of those guys need to learn how to treat a woman — a pretty one, at that."

"Thank you. I'm Marie. What's your name?"

"It's Edelio. So how did you end up here, eternally damned?" he smirked.

"Originally, I was coming here with my mentor, Alok. He was killed when we were on the way to the mountain, but I made it out alive. Kurda found me and brought me here."

"Yeah, Kurda's a nice guy. As you can see, we're celebrating his plan to unite the clans," he said as he gestured to the drunk yet gleeful vampaneze.

"Well, I'm glad I met you, Edelio."

***

"Seriously, let's get your cut fixed," Edelio said after an insane bit of laughter when I tripped over a tree root in the ground, and got a deep gash in my shoulder. We were walking back to the caves of Vampire Mountain after hunting in the forest for meat of animals. I couldn't reach the cut to lick it and close it, so the cut was still open. Edelio found some water in a small brook, and rinsed my wound. I then felt a strange sensation on the gash. I turned around to look at my shoulder. Edelio was _licking_ me. _Well, this is awkward._

"Edelio," I questioned. "What are you doing?" He lifted his head away from the skin of my shoulder.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm healing the cut with my super-saliva." I blushed. I decided to let it slide and shrug off the embarrassing way of healing. Edelio's tongue continued traveling slowly up my injured shoulder. I felt my skin mesh together, and my cut was sealed. But Edelio didn't stop. His lips moved up my shoulder, lodged between my neck and jaw, and finally reached my own lips. I then realized he was kissing me. In fact, he was kissing me with passion and tenderness. I took hold of his stubbly face, feeling what it was like to have someone interested in me.

Kissing Edelio felt weird, but it also felt safe, as if I wouldn't be harmed if I kissed him. It was pleasant, but it made me curious about what it would be like if I had the chance to kiss Darren, the mysterious boy who I hadn't seen in years. He was what got me into this mess of killing people and living like savages. If I ever found Darren, kissing him would probably feel dangerous, and daring. I mean, he's a half-vampire, and I'm a half-vampaneze. We could start a war or set the vampiric clans into hysteria if Darren and I were to become mates. I wish I could change. I do not enjoy being a vampaneze. Killing people is not my hobby. But it's what I am, and there's no way to change how I have to survive. At least, there are no ways _that I know of_.

It was getting pretty late — the sun was about to rise — so Edelio and I headed back to the vampaneze room, where everyone was sleeping. We crept into a small corner, and huddled together to sleep. He wrapped his muscular, tan arms around me, and whispered, "Goodnight Marie." I fell asleep in his arms, with him protecting me.

***

That evening, I woke early, pulled Edelio's arms off of me, and I went to search for Kurda. I was in dire need of new clothing and a bath. I scooted out of the vampaneze hall, and grabbed a lit candle. I walked with caution, scanning the tunnels. I watched my feet, making sure I didn't trip over something, when suddenly I bumped into a purple and red crowd of vampaneze flesh. I hopped to get a glimpse over their broad shoulders to see what the commotion was.

A golden blonde male was saying, "I saved your life." It was Kurda. Another voice sobbed, "At the expense of Gavner's. Why did you do it? He was your friend. He… never mind. I don't want to hear."

This voice seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite match it with a face, since the vampaneze in front of me blocked my view. I jumped up to take another look over a vampaneze named Glalda's shoulder. The voice came from Darren! I couldn't believe it! My teenage memories came back, and I remembered when we first met at the Cirque du Freak.

_ I inhaled a bit too much dust, and sneezed._

_ "Bless you," said Devon and the boy simultaneously._

_ "Thank you," I replied to each of them, while sweeping one of my light brown pieces of hair out of my face. At this moment, I first got a close look at the dark-haired boy. His eyes twinkled, and his nose gently crinkled when he laughed at my high-pitched sneeze. He also had a nice, bright smile._

_ "What's your name?" he asked._

_ "I'm Marie," I grinned. "And what's yours?"_

_ "I'm Darren."_

More memories of years ago flooded back…

_ "So here I am, out of my grave and completely alive. Well, I guess I'm undead."_

_ I laughed at his far-fetched story. "That's crazy."_

_ "But it's true. You have to believe me. Now, I wish I could stay and chat, but I have to go find Mr. Crepsley. Goodbye, Marie," he said._

**"No!"** Kurda shouted as Darren drew a knife from his dead friend on the floor. "I said I wanted him taken alive!"

"He has a knife," Glalda growled. "Do you want us to let him chop off our fingers while we get it away from him?!?"

Kurda and Darren continued to argue, and then Darren made a run for it. The throng of vampaneze raced after him until we made it to a deep river. Darren was hanging by his fingers on a ledge above the vicious water. Kurda offered his hand, but Darren rejected and let go of the rocky ledge into the rushing water current. I watched him glide into the waterfall, and I wanted to shout his name and tell him that I was on his side. I then realized that I was the only one left by the riverbank. The rest of the crowd had left when Darren had fallen. I could only imagine the pain of falling into the violent currents of the white water, and I admired Darren's bravery. After that, I wiped my face and ran to go find Kurda.


	7. Chapter 6: Search

"Kurda!" I panted after running after him. He turned around and gave me his signature warm smile. I acted like I did not just witness the argument that erupted between him and Darren.

"Yes, Marie, what can I do for you?" he said.

"I hope it's not a burden, but I need some proper clothing to replace these," I gestured to my tattered clothes with a sheepish grin.

"It's no problem at all. Do you have any preference to what it looks like?"

"I do like blue," I mused.

"Blue it is," smiled Kurda as he disappeared down the hall to fetch me some clothes. I decided to go back to my hall. It was almost dawn, so I crawled into Edelio's arms again and fell asleep.

When I woke, there was fresh, royal blue clothing wedged in between my hands. Kurda must have put them there while I was sleeping. I slipped them on while Edelio was asleep — he was a very heavy sleeper. The fabric wasn't very soft, but it was better than the rags I was wearing. The royal blue color matched my eyes, and the clothing was a bit baggy, but still flexible. The shirt and cloak draped over my upper body, and the shirt hung below my hips; it was a bit like a small dress. Regardless, I still wore the pants; they provided warmth. If I got hot, I could also fold the thin cloak into a small square, and tuck it in my pocket. All in all, this new outfit was easy and useful. I made a mental note to thank Kurda.

After I ate a little bit and snagged some bottles of blood to go, I started to develop my plan. It had bothered me that Darren had escaped and maybe died. Somehow, I felt like he was alive somewhere; I knew he couldn't be dead. I could just sense it.

So I planned to escape the hall of the vampaneze, and head for the hall with the river in which Darren fell. I prepared to journey down the riverbank, wherever it may go, and try to find him. I had tucked the bottles of blood into my cloak, and re-traced the path we took when the crowd of vampaneze, Kurda, and I chased Darren. I was in a glowing moss-filled cave. I kept walking until I almost stepped on something. I felt it crawl up my ankle. I peered down at it, and there before my eyes was a bright yellow spider! I bit my lip to stop myself from shrieking as I shook the spider off. It sure gave me a scare! But I continued walking until I heard the running water. I followed the sound until I reached the river and the waterfall. It was steeper than I remembered. I gulped, and braced myself as I stuck my long, vampaneze fingernails into the thick, dark soil of the cliff. Mist from the waterfall lightly caressed my face while I was climbing down. Carefully and quickly, I scaled my way down the wall of soil and rock. I looked down at how much further I had to go. It was a remainder of about 10 yards. I decided to jump down from my perch on the cliff wall. I hit the floor with a thump, and kept following the river. It was about 5 a.m. and the moon was about to hit the horizon and disappear. I wandered along the bubbling riverbank. There was no sign of Darren, but I wasn't turning back now. I kept walking and walking, and watching the silver water flow. I turned around over my shoulder and saw the pink sky rising from the ascending sun. I had to quickly find a place to rest.

The woods whizzed by as I ran, searching. A half-vampaneze such as I can run about as fast as a cheetah. The sun was gaining on me. But the trees that were everywhere blocked it. I decided to take a short nap under a large, silvery-green willow tree. I hadn't found Darren yet, but he should turn up soon—if he's not dead yet.

I didn't remember falling asleep, but I suddenly woke up. And then I noticed I was freezing cold and wet.

It must have rained here in the forest, and I was probably sprayed by misty rain. I had to get my robes off before I froze. I removed the clothing from my body, and hung the damp blue robes on a branch of a tree to dry off. I was extremely uncomfortable, without protection from the cool breeze blowing by. I then spotted two rabbits, which I caught easily and drank their blood. Immediately after, I felt warmer and more at ease. I went back to check on my robes, which had dried off a bit since I left them there. I shook them, and then put them back on. I set off to continue my journey to find Darren.

As I jogged up the riverbank with my robes flowing behind me, my thoughts wandered. Was Edelio concerned about my absence from Vampire Mountain? Where was Steve at this moment in time? What if Darren was already dead? For some strange reason, my heart told me that it was my destiny to find Darren, and that we might make it out alive.

The ground I was jogging on, which had been wet from the previous rain, had now frozen. I was lucky to have vampaneze blood in my veins, which was keeping me warm. I continued my route on the frosty earth, up the riverbank. All of a sudden, I saw the strangest thing.

It was a massive pile of wolves, huddled together and asleep on the ground. But the oddest part was that I saw the body of a sleeping boy in the midst of the wolves. It seemed that they were all sharing their body heat and their fur with the boy. The boy was naked, with not many hairs on his head. It looked as if it had been singed off. I looked closer, and I recognized his prominent cheekbones, the slope of his nose, the angle of his jaw line, and the curves of the lean muscles in his arms. It was him. It was Darren.

I wanted to wake him up and show him that I was here, but he looked so peaceful when he slept. He would probably be embarrassed with the fact that he wasn't wearing any clothes, and that I was a girl. Also, I don't know how the wolves would react to me waking them up as well. So I looked for something to snack on for a while. After searching the vicinity, I found a bush with purple berries. They were actually very tart, but they provided nourishment.

After Darren and the wolves had slept for a few hours, and my clothing was completely dry, I placed my cloak over Darren's pale body. I wanted to wake him up. So I shook him gently, careful not to wake the wolves and make them angry.

"Darren, Darren," I whispered. He finally woke and rubbed his dark green eyes. "Darren, it's me."

"Marie?" he mumbled, obviously not fully awake yet. His voice had gotten deeper since the last time I saw him. He was now about the physical age of seventeen.

"Marie!" he gasped as he became conscious. He started, "Y-you're a—"

"Half-vampaneze," I finished. His eyes were wide with curiosity.

"But how did you recognize me? My hair is gone, and… I have no clothes on." His face blushed as he came to the sudden realization.

"You can take my trousers. They're too big for me anyway; my tunic is long enough for it to be a dress, so it'll cover me."

"Um, okay." He was still gathering his thoughts and trying to figure out why I was here. After he changed into my blue trousers, he said, "You know, you're going against you're clan to help me."

"I know that."

"Why?"

"I don't like being a vampaneze. I mean, the strength, speed, and advantages are great, but killing people and drinking blood isn't fun. I always feel like a monster. Another reason is that I like you, Darren." I wanted to say that I _really_ liked him. "And if it was any other vampire, I probably wouldn't help him."

I decided to change the subject. "So how did you end up in the wilderness with a bald head and no clothing?"

"It's a long story, but I'll tell you," Darren said with a smirk. Even without his lush, dark hair, his smirk made me swoon by itself. It was what attracted me to him from the day we met. Anyway, he went into detail about his epic story of his experiences as a half-vampire. He told me about his run-in with a crazed vampaneze, his time at the Cirque du Freak, his brief love life (which I was not excited to hear about), his journey to Vampire Mountain, and the Vampire Trials of Initiation. Most of his story I thought was very intriguing, except for his old girlfriend, Debbie. I knew that I was a better match for Darren. She was a human and could never be with him, while I was almost immortal, and it was easier for us to be together. I was determined to show Darren that we were meant to be.

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've had so much school and it's almost over!! When school ends, I promise I'll update more. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 7: Together

**(Darren POV)**

After telling Marie what has happened since I last saw her, I felt like a great load was off my chest. Now that she knew everything, I felt comfortable. She knew about all my adventures and what has happened at Vampire Mountain. And she looked so adorable when I told her about my relationship with Debbie; a scowl appeared on her face. She looked so funny when she was jealous, that I had to make an effort to keep a straight face. But now I don't know what to do. My instinct tells me to go for Marie, because she is a creature of the night, like me. But even though Debbie is probably grown up now, I still have feelings for her and I wish that we could be together. Anyway, it's better for me to stay out of her life; now she can go on living as a normal human with no interference from the dangers of the night. So right now, I am just going to cherish the time I have with Marie.

After I had put on Marie's baggy blue trousers, she went to go get something to eat, a rabbit or deer perhaps. She told me to gather some firewood to make a small fire. So I ripped some branches off a tree, and assembled a small fire pit for the two of us. If the flame was too big, it would cause smoke and attract humans, vampires, or vampaneze. I had to keep a close eye on the fire pit to make sure that it didn't get out of hand. Suddenly, I heard a noise that sounded like something was in the bushes. The leaves shook, and obnoxious barking came from the same animal that was in the bushes. A little wolf cub emerged.

"Rudi, I missed you, boy!" I told him. I ruffled his fur, and he licked my hand in salutations. The eager look in his eyes inspired me to bring him to meet Marie. He would love her! His messy, reddish-brown fur stood up in irregular tufts as he yapped excitedly at me.

"I'm back," Marie said from behind me as she returned. She started cooking some meat over the fire. "I see you've found a friend."

"This is Rudi. We go way back," I said, scratching behind the wolf's ears. Instead of energetically greeting her like I thought he would, Rudi hid behind me and growled.

"What's wrong, boy?" I asked, wondering what the hell he was growling about. Then, I realized why.

"It's you, Marie. Wolves don't like vampaneze."

"Oh," she said sheepishly. "I wish I wasn't one. I wish that somehow I could change. The _wolf_ even knows I'm a monster."

"It's okay. That's how I felt when I was first changed into a half-vampire." I pondered the ways I could cheer her up. "Well, there's no possible way that you could become human again. But I wonder if there's any way that you could become a vampire instead…"

"That's insane. And I've never heard of anything like that. It's probably impossible."

I truly felt bad for her. I wanted to make her feel better, and my heart hurt because she was unhappy. I couldn't stand to see her in this much misery. As she looked down at the ground dejectedly, I thought about how beautiful she was. Her blue eyes still shone brightly, and her lips were still the pretty shade of pink as when I first fell for her. All I could think about was how much her happiness mattered to me, and I took her face in my hands and kissed her.

**(Marie POV)**

He was kissing me. The famous Darren Shan was kissing me!

This was what I toiled and searched and persevered for. This one boy, who had me hooked from the beginning, was finally returning the feeling that I had kept for him. His kissing was just as good as I'd imagined. The warmth of his hand on my neck and the feel of his arm wrapped around my waist made me feel loved and accomplished, as if I'd finally found what I'd been looking for. It had been so cold wandering around in the wintry forest, so the warmth of his body was extra-welcoming. I wanted this moment to go on forever; I knew that Darren and I were meant to be together. Suddenly, the kiss stopped.

"We shouldn't be doing this," he said, turning away and running a hand through his short, shadowy black hair that was starting to grow back. "I'll get in trouble if anyone finds out about this."

I stared at him, confused. Who would find out if we were in this deserted forest?

"Let me rephrase," he sighed. "We **will** get in trouble if anyone finds out about this!"

"Well, no one's here to witness us," I said as I inched closer and put my arms around his neck, ready to keep kissing him again.

"I just feel like we're being watched."

"Now that you mention it… I do too."

We cleared up the fire pit nervously, and with the help of the wolves, we scattered the burnt wood in random places, as if the fire was never there. I had a hunch that someone was approaching. We found a thick bush to hide in, and Darren and I lay low behind it. A few minutes passed in silence, and a figure appeared. It was clad in bright red, with an orange-haired head.

"Mr. Crepsley!" Darren whispered, and I squeezed his hand to tell him to shut up. A wolf that was accompanying us growled sharply at him, clearly having the same intention as me. We then saw that a group of vampires were with Mr. Crepsley, and one of them was young and blond, carrying a sword — Kurda Smahlt. I was pleasantly surprised, and prepared to greet the group of vampires. I thought they meant no harm, but Darren stopped me.

"We have to follow them," he persisted. He was being stubborn, and we didn't have time for arguing, so I let him have his way. The wolf, which Darren nicknamed "Streak" started leading us toward the troupe of vampires. We coughtsight of them, and followed at a steady pace. Darren seemed to be deep in thought, pondering about the suspicious group in front of us. I wanted to ask him what he was so curious about, but the vampires would hear my voice and catch us. After walking for a while more, the group stopped and took a rest. Darren pointed to them, signaling that he wanted to get a closer look. Streak led us forward, and we hid and tried to eavesdrop. I could only hear them chatting about Darren's dead body (the whole vampire clan thought he was dead) and about Kurda's investiture. Investiture? Kurda was becoming a Prince! Good for him! He deserves it.

When Darren heard their talk and was reminded of Kurda's investiture, his face went pale, and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. He grabbed my hand, gestured to Streak, and we started running back to the clearing where we had originally camped out — far away from here.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed dejectedly when we reached the clearing. "I completely forgot that Kurda was becoming a Prince! I _can't_ let this happen!"

"Why not? Kurda's a good guy," I said.

"You don't understand. He's a traitor."

"What do you mean?"

"Kurda has betrayed the entire vampire clan. He has been keeping vampaneze hidden in the mountain, and once he's been blooded as a Prince, he will have the power to help the vampaneze steal the Stone of Blood!"

"I knew he was keeping vampaneze in the mountain," I told him. "I was one of them. But I support you, Darren, and all of your decisions."

"So you're turning against your entire clan for me?"

"Well… yes. Yes I am."


End file.
